Sunflowers
by Aqualoner
Summary: oneshot She was summer's daughter. The sun's child and that's how she stayed until the very end.


I don't own Naruto.

* * *

She had loved sunflowers.

It's been six long years of killing, missions and war and the end isn't anywhere in sight for the three twelve year-olds. Team 13 just lost one of their yearmates and Sensei is still trying to be positive.

Sensei asks what they want to do when the war was over. Obito shouts that he wants to relax the entire day. Kakashi doesn't answer just tells Obito that he is the laziest person in the world. Obito starts to yell at him. Sensei merely shakes his head and turns towards Rin.

Rin closes her eyes and smiles that sweet humble smile that only she has and answers. She wants to run through the sunflowers and watch as the butterflies soar up into the clouds. Then she opens her eyes and sees them staring at her. Obito and Sensei are grinning but Kakashi is looking at her puzzled. Rin blushes as Sensei calls her a good girl and pats her head.

* * *

Obito is dead and his eye is in Kakashi's head. Nothing feels right now that Team 13 only constants of three people instead of four. Sensei is still trying to remain positive even though his grin is straining.

By some miracle, Sensei manages to get them a day off. Sensei drags them to the ramen stand and eats 23 bowels. Rin tries to laugh but finds she can't. Kakashi doesn't say a word.

It is the first true summer day so what is left of Team 13 walks around their home and somehow ends up at the memorial stone. Sensei carefully traces Obito's name. His grin is slowly replaced by a frown. Kakashi sits in the grass and looks at Rin. Her eyes are closed and her head is tilted up letting the sun kiss her pretty face. At that very moment Kakashi wishes nothing more than to be the sun.

* * *

The war has been over for a year but in the ninja world letting your guard down means certain death. Konaha learns this the hard way when their greatest hero falls after sealing a demon in innocent blonde baby boy. With no Sensei to remain positive, Kakashi joins the ANUB.

His cloth mask is replaced by porcelain and his new identity is a wolf and it's perfect. Now he can lose himself in shadows of red and forget the bright yellow sun and all it stands for.

Rin lives in a world of white where she is the only hope. Every day is mixture of tragedy and joy for the ones she couldn't save and the ones she could. Families cry when they hear of her failure to heal their loved one. Rin desperately wants to cry with them but she can't. She is too tired.

Kakashi visits her sometimes just to see the old sparkle in her weary eyes that appears when she sees him. Kakashi realizes it is the only warmth he will ever need.

* * *

She is dying of chakra depletion and there is nothing anyone can do. Rin is dying and it is all because of him. She healed him at the cost of her own life _just like Obito_. So she's lying in the hospital room where the only colors are white walls and red blood. White is for her soul and Kakashi doesn't want to know what red is for.

He holds her hand while she sleeps and asks why. Slowly Rin opens her eyes. Kakashi expects them to be bloodshot but they're just sad and bright with indescribable pain. Somehow that's worse. Rin whispers _underneath the underneath, Kakashi_ and smiles her humble sweet smile and the genuis Copy-nin is speechless.

* * *

Kakashi sits on the rock by the memorial. There is so much he wants to say, words like Sorry, Thank you and I love you too, but it has never been his way to say things bluntly. So he just says _I read underneath the underneath, Rin_ and smiles his little broken smile. Then Kakashi stands up, places a flower on the stone and walks away.

He was always taught that heaven was golden streets and pearl gates. But Kakashi thinks positively and hopes that Rin's heaven is filled with sunflowers and butterflies.

* * *

I think this is my favorite story, yet. Please review. I don't know what Kakashi's team was called so I just named them team 13.

-Aqua


End file.
